Looking Through The Eyes of A Soldier
by A Thing For Brothers
Summary: An added part to last Friday's episode The Mole. It takes place at the last scene with Colby and Don together. Colby helps Don understand why he did what he did. I know, I already have another story, but I had to write this one before I lost it!


**This is a brief addition to the episode "The Mole." It's an addition to the last scene with Colby and Don. Enjoy!**

Colby turned and started to walk away from his boss. He couldn't believe Don hadn't understood him. But then, he had never been in war. He didn't know what it took. Don was right; Colby had never feared dying. The only thing he feared was letting those on his team down. And that's how he still felt today, only now referring to his FBI team. Still, old loyalties are still there.

"Don," he turned and called. Don stopped and turned back to him.

Colby unbuttoned his dress shirt, revealing a black, sleeveless muscle shirt beneath. He tossed the dress shirt on the ground, revealing the ugly red scar on his upper left shoulder. It was normally hidden by his shirt sleeves, being just high enough for even short sleeves to cover.

It was why he never wore sleeveless shirts. People stared and it made him uncomfortable, though he wasn't ashamed of what it meant. It was just another reminder of how close he had come to death and who brought him out of it.

Don stared openly at the wide scar on Colby's arm, unprepared for the sight of it. The scar was about two inches tall and went around his arm. It was ugly, red and splotchy. Don hadn't expected to see it, wondered how he had known his agent so long without seeing it.

Colby wasn't used to showing the scar so openly, but it gave him strength. He knew Don needed to see it. He had to make his boss understand. The scar showed lightly what had happened that day. It actually looked good compared to the third degree burns that had covered the area. Colby could remember what Dwayne's hands had looked like, too. They hadn't looked much different than his arm.

"You're right. You've never been in combat, and only if you have do you understand. That man you're about to arrest saved my life. Yes, I crossed the line on this case. For that, I am sorry. But forgive me if for one moment I hesitated to tell the truth because the man who saved my life made a mistake. I know where my loyalties are. Right now, they're with my team. Forgive me if I have a lifelong debt to the man who saved my life and I didn't really think it was fair to let him go to jail because I turned him in. He deserves better than that. He was injured as badly as I was because he saved me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here to make this mistake. You never forget those you've served with. You get too close to each other. Hell, you can't not get to know each other real well and get so close when you have to face death together every day. It's impossible not to. And those relationships never end, even if we don't keep in touch."

Dwayne Carter watched his friend who had betrayed him. It didn't hurt as much, hearing Colby say those things. He should have known his friend would get in trouble because of him and he shouldn't have let it happen. Colby was a good agent. He knew what he had to do. It wasn't like him to break a few rules, or any at all. To think that he did it for him meant a lot. Maybe Colby had cared more than he thought.

Dwayne was pulled roughly by the two agents who had handcuffed him. He watched as Colby and his boss stared each other down. Finally, the head agent backed down.

Don hadn't known. If he had, he would have gone a little easier on his agent. He still would have told him never to make that mistake again, and if he had again, he still would have gone to jail. It did make more sense now, why he did it. Don should have been able to trust Colby. He'd been one of his best agents and he should have taken that into consideration before taking him off the case.

"All right. I'm sorry. Look, just don't let it happen again, okay?"

"Fine."

Colby risked one last glance at Dwayne. When his hero smiled at him, he felt a bit of relief.

--

Don listened to the tape of what went on between Dwayne and Colby that night. He heard the emotion in the agent's voice, knew it was hard on him. He actually felt the emotion when Colby revealed the tape to the man who saved his life. He was still partly responsible for why Dwayne was taken in. It couldn't be easy on the agent. To turn in the man who saved his life couldn't be.

Colby went to his apartment in a cold sweat. He couldn't let go of the guilt. Dwayne had saved his life, and what did he do? He turned him in. It was a part of the job, but when it became personal, Colby couldn't take it. He had managed today, had done his job. But it wasn't any easier. He owed Dwayne his life and he just put him behind bars, probably for the rest of his life. Colby had nearly been shot twice in the past week, but he didn't really care. He had told Dwayne to go ahead. He wouldn't have had to live with the guilt anymore if that had been the case, and he wouldn't be haunted any longer.

He fell asleep early that night, only to wake up to the sound of a machine gun going off and a hot, burning pain in his arm. He was drenched in sweat, his pulse was racing. He screamed out and reached around for a gun, but it wasn't there and neither were the gun shots. He rubbed his arm absently, remembering what it had been like coming so close to death. He had seen his life flash before his eyes, could hear his sisters crying because he had died. His career was flushed down the drain. And then Dwayne brought him back. He'd taken the burning piece of metal off his arm, partially with his bare hands. Together they had made it when a few of their fellow soldiers had come to get them.

They'd been taken to a hospital and had stayed there for around a month. Colby's sisters had come and he felt better. But they weren't the same company as Dwayne was. Dwayne understood what he had gone through, had been there when it happened. Both of their careers had ended that day. Colby was a proud attendee to the ceremony when Dwayne got a purple heart. He couldn't think of anyone more deserving than him.

Colby had been having nightmares about it lately, ever since Dwayne showed up in his life again. Before he had just had them off and on, but they made him stronger. Now it just reminded him how close he had been to his friend, and how he should never have let him get into the mess Dwayne was in. Maybe if he had stuck around, kept in contact, it never would have happened. It was the least he could do, considering Dwayne had saved his life.

Colby looked down and saw his hands shaking. He needed a drink, something to ease his mind. He was still dressed in the clothes he'd worn earlier, having fallen asleep on his couch in front of the TV. Judging by the news, it was a little after eleven o'clock.

He heard someone knock on his door and he jumped. Taking a deep breath to get a hold of himself, he stood and went to the door. He was surprised to find Don on the other side.

"You need something?" he asked gruffly.

"Come on. Let me buy you a beer," Don said, nodding for Colby to come.

Colby smiled. "All right, as long as I get to buy you one, too."

"Sounds good to me."

The two agents went to a bar and talked through most of the night. Don asked Colby to tell him about Dwayne, hoping to get a good enough defense for Dwayne so he wouldn't have to carry out a life sentence.

Colby was thankful that his boss had taken the time to hear about Dwayne and was going to help get him a lighter sentence. He knew Dwayne had had it rough. He was even more haunted than Colby. The war changed people, but Colby and Dwayne had never regretted serving.

Don got an inside look at his friend's life in the war. The stories made him cringe, knowing he wasn't that good in dangerous situations.

He found a new respect for his agent, and for once he didn't want to just refer to Colby as an agent.

He was also a friend.


End file.
